“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.” – John 20:11
It felt like an ending
It seemed like failure
Even her grief was being denied as the body was now gone.
She stands as witness in her tears
She stands…

Peter in the courtyard is perhaps the centre of the discipleship journey for me. Certainly, Jesus upon the cross remains the mystical heart of faith – central to the mystery and passion of divine reconciliation. But for my own journey in seeking…

Many years ago I was part of a theology reading group. We set out to read The Crucified God by German theologian Jürgen Moltmann. It was a challenging read, but has been foundational for me.
Moltmann experienced God as a prisoner-of-war.…

At our recent meeting, the Hope Uniting Church Council reflected on who we are as a congregation community. One of the things that was named in our discussion was the importance of people being acknowledged and known as individuals, each bringing…

The gospel of John leads us on a merry dance in trying to pin this Jesus down.
John seems to make definitive and dramatic statements “The Word of God!” or “the light of the world!”. Powerful images that spark something within in us,…

How do we know God?
Specifically, how do we know the God who we see revealed in Jesus Christ?
The opening to John’s gospel is a powerful mash-up using Jewish wisdom literature, Greek philosophy and even some of Genesis chapter 1,…

On Prayer-
“Prayer is taking a chance that, against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen.” Ann Lamott
“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the world.” Karl Barth
“We pray…

Throughout my ministry I’ve found that people either love John’s Gospel for its strong claims about who Jesus is, or have found the whole thing mystifying for its long winded and dense style AND its polarising claims around Jesus.
This…

For the most part it feels as if our lives move at warp speed these days.
Everything is urgent, instant and measured out in Mbps, likes and strategic plans. Perhaps we’ve bought into the latest mindfulness trends (useful) – though mostly…

http://hopeuniting.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Luther-nailing-theses-560x538.jpg538560hopeunitinghttp://hopeuniting.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TextLogoLongGrey.pnghopeuniting2017-11-02 16:05:182018-05-31 12:58:541517 and the urgency of now